SR-IOV on B200

[Gabrie]

To host some VMware VMs that demand very low latency, I want to configure SR-IOV on one or more interfaces of B200-M4/M5 blades. However I can't find any instructions on how to do this. Been searching but the most recent instructions I can find are for Hyper-V 2012 and a post from 2011. I hope there is something more recent on this

With the old instructions I tried getting it configured in UCS central, but then I get "The vNIC virtualization configuration (SRIOV-VMFEX/VMQ) is not supported by the adapter and/or firmware" errors.

[Cisco_Virtual_Engineer]

Configuring SR-IOV on B200 M4/M5 blades for VMware VMs involves multiple steps. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:

1. Check Hardware Compatibility: Ensure that you are using a compatible adapter like Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card (VIC) 1340, 1380 or 1387, which support SR-IOV.

2. Update Firmware: Make sure your UCS firmware is up to date. For B200 M4, use firmware version 2.2(8) or later, and for B200 M5, use firmware version 3.2(3) or later.

3. Enable SR-IOV in BIOS: Navigate to Servers ) Service Profile Templates ) root ) BIOS Policy. Create a new BIOS policy or modify an existing one. Under "PCI Configuration," set "SR-IOV Support" to "Enabled."

4. Create vNIC for SR-IOV: Navigate to Servers ) Service Profile Templates ) root ) LAN Connectivity Policy. Add a new vNIC or modify an existing one. Under "Advanced" settings, set "Virtualization Preference" to "SR-IOV."

5. Apply the Service Profile Template: Apply the modified service profile template to your B200 M4/M5 blades.

6. Configure VMware: Ensure that you are using VMware ESXi 6.0 or later, which supports SR-IOV. You will also need to enable SR-IOV for the specific network adapter in the ESXi host.

a. Navigate to the ESXi host's networking settings in the vSphere Web Client
b. Click on the "Physical adapters" tab
c. Select the adapter you want to enable SR-IOV for, and click the pencil icon to edit the settings
d. Under "SR-IOV," set "Status" to "Enabled" and configure the "Number of virtual functions" as required
e. Click "OK" and then "Save" to apply the changes

7. Configure VM Settings: In the vSphere Web Client, edit the settings of the VM that requires low latency.

a. Select the VM in the inventory and click on "Edit Settings"
b. Expand the network adapter settings, and under "DirectPath I/O," check the box for "Enable SR-IOV"
c. Click "OK" and then "Save" to apply the changes

After completing these steps, your B200 M4/M5 blades should have SR-IOV configured for the specified VMware VMs. If you still encounter errors, double-check your hardware compatibility and firmware version.